Made a vow of private chastity at age 10. Her motherdied when Mariam was 12, and she dedicated herself to prayer, to the service of the poor and sick, and to the comfort of lonely people in her parish. With three friends, she formed a prayer group, and engaged in apostolic work on the streets, with the neediest families of the village including the Untouchables caste.

In 1903 she requested permission to build a house of prayer and retreat, but Apostolic Vicar, Mar John Menachery of Trichur, refused the request, and recommended that she test her vocation. Mariam entered several Congregations, and in 1913 her bishop granted her permission to build the home. On 14 May1914, the Congregation of the Holy Family was founded. By Mariam’s death, they had established three convents, two day schools, two boarding schools, a study home, and an orphanage. Today the Congregation operates in Kerala, in northern India, Germany, Italy, and Ghana with over 170 houses.